The 18-year old Dutch driver was racing in Formula Regional under wet conditions when he was caught in a crash exiting Raidillon just before the Kemmel Straight.
A tragedy has befallen motorsport. Young Dutch driver Dilano van’t Hoff was killed in a multi-car collision during a Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) race at Spa-Francorchamps. His crash comes just under four years after the death of Formula 2 ace Anthoine Hubert on the same track, at nearly the same corner.
The circumstances around the crash are still developing. According to Motorsport.com, the incident began when second-place driver Tim Traminitz lost control of his Tatuus-Renault FR-19 spec car at the top of Raidillon in rainy conditions just after the safety car was deployed. The decompression of the crest is infamous for causing losses of control, and is why the runoff around Eau Rouge was widened. The crash traveled down the pack, causing several cars to lose control and get destroyed. Van’t Hoff lost control of his car in the chaos, and ended up stationary at the very beginning of the Kemmel Straight. He was hit at high speed in a T-bone style crash, similar to what killed Hubert in 2019.
The Formula 2 paddock coming together in tribute of van’t Hoff. Getty
MP Motorsport, the team who ran van’t Hoff’s car made a statement about the crash. “We are devastated at the loss of one of our brightest Dutch talents, who brought so much energy to our team during the years he raced with us.” FRECA, the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, the FIA, and the F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali have all expressed their condolences for the loss of van’t Hoff. F1 driver Lance Stroll has called for action saying that “[the FIA] needs to do something.”
Racing is dangerous, but it does not need to be deadly. Every young driver that dies senselessly is a tragic death, even if all competitors accept the risks. Today, the world of motorsport is in mourning.
